1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a refrigerator and a method for controlling the same, and more particularly to a refrigerator which prevents food from going bad when the internal temperature detecting unit malfunctions.
2. Description of the Prior Art
An example of conventional refrigerators is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication No. Sho 64-19281. The refrigerator control mechanism disclosed in the publication is illustrated in FIG. 3. As shown in FIG. 3, the refrigerator includes a compressor 32 for compressing a refrigerant to a high pressure, a cooling fan 103 for cooling the compressor 32, and a control unit 102 for controlling the cooling fan 103 so as to delay driving of the cooling fan 103 during driving of the compressor 32. The control unit 102 includes an internal temperature sensor 109 for detecting an internal temperature of the refrigerator, a compressor temperature sensor 107 for detecting a temperature of the compressor 32, and an external temperature sensor 105 for detecting an external temperature of the refrigerator.
In the conventional refrigerator having the abovementioned arrangement, a drive signal from the control unit 102 is sent to a compressor driving relay 111 when the internal temperature of the refrigerator detected by the internal temperature sensor 109 is higher than a predetermined temperature. By the drive signal, the compressor driving relay 111 is switched to its closed state, thereby causing the compressor 32 to receive an AC voltage from a power source 113. As a result, the compressor 32 is driven. Thereafter, a determination is made about whether the drive time of the compressor 32 is longer than a predetermined time. When the drive time of the compressor 32 is determined to be longer than the predetermined time, the control unit 10 sends a drive signal to a fan driving relay 115. By the drive signal, the fan driving relay 115 is switched to its closed state, thereby causing the fan 103 to receive the AC voltage from the power source 113. As a result, the fan 103 is driven to cool the compressor 32.
Where an error is generated in the internal temperature sensor 109, which prevents the compressor from being driven when it should, the control unit 102 will eventually detect the generated error to stop the compressor 32 if the user fails to detect it. However, the internal temperature of the refrigerator will have increased over the lapse of time, thereby causing foods contained in the refrigerator to go bad.